Each year Miracle Playsystems brings communities together to build their dream playground. Visiting one of California’s finest play areas will provide children with an unforgettable outdoor experience this year. Not sure where to go? We’ve put together a list of our favorite play areas.

Whether you love baseball or are just looking for a fun outing with your family, friends, and landscape architect colleagues, ASLA-NCC’s Giants Night is the perfect occasion and a great deal! Your ticket includes a pregame celebration at AT&T Park, with classic ballpark food and drinks at Anchor Plaza, which is reserved just for our group and overlooks the field, the city and the bay. The night is ours, with a block of seats all in Section 325, making it easy to socialize and cheer on the team.

This time of year we like to share our thoughts about those things we are thankful for. As playground designers we are thankful for the inspiration we can draw from art, nature, exploration and playful design. As a thank you to our customers we have compiled our favorite images and articles we find inspiring and how they can be translated to influence the world of play.

Street Art/Murals – In a three-part series, artnet News aims to find the best and brightest street artists working today, from known entities to emerging artists flying under the radar. James Goldcrown, Lovewall inspired design solution – The playful hearts and layering of colors can be expressed in playground design using the curved forms of these custom talk tubes from Sonic Architecture.

It’s that time again…get out the Vote. On November 8th millions of Americans will go to the polls and not only choose the next President of the United States but arguably more importantly vote for local measures and parcel taxes to boost funding for local initiatives.

The quality and quantity of parks and playgrounds we have in our society is directly related to the funding these types of projects receive. As citizens who utilize our public parks, and whose children play, learn and achieve on their playgrounds, it is our responsibility to take the “initiative” and educate ourselves on current ballot measures, initiatives, and propositions that may or may not help provide the necessary funding to these vital resources.

Creating a successful play environment goes beyond just the play structure itself. We try to create special places for people to enjoy, bring happiness and make memories. These spaces have the potential to serve as the catalyst for transforming neighborhoods into communities. To ensure we create quality public spaces that encourage social interaction and physical activity, landscape architects and planners take many aspects into consideration to create a great sense of place.

The term sense of place is often used in relation to those characteristics that make a place special or unique, as well as to those that foster a sense of authentic human attachment and belonging. Landscape Architecture/History: John Brinckerhoff Jackson, A Sense of Place, a Sense of Time “A sense of place is something that we ourselves create in the course of time. It is the result of habit or custom…. A sense of place is reinforced by what might be called a sense of recurring events.”

One of the best measures of the success of a play environment is how long people stay engaged with the space. The greatest factors influencing this are the level of challenge and variety of experiences. Over time children figure out how to use play equipment and the level of challenge decreases and it becomes harder to stay engaged for longer periods of time. When we introduce competition into play the variety of experiences is always changing and stays engaging. Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) is a sport in which a competitor, traveling on foot, must overcome various physical challenges. OCR is a great way to stay fit, have fun, meet new friends and thanks to shows and competitions like American Ninja Warrior, Spartan Race, Warrior Dash and ToughMudder: Obstacle Course Racing can also make you famous. Miracle Playsystems has several product offerings to help make your next playground design unique, challenging, and just maybe help a child become the Next American Ninja Warrior.Using standard traditional playground elements like monkey bars, climbing walls, and crawl tubes we can help transform your park or school into an age appropriate obstacle course for all abilities.

UPDATE: Join us for the Grand Opening of Beresford Park Playground Saturday, July 23, 2016. Beresford Park is located at 2720 Alameda de las Pulgas, San Mateo, CA. Playground opens to the public starting at 12:00pm.

Schools out for summer! We can’t believe it’s already here, our favorite time of year! Long summer days, barbeques and community bonding! But there’s always one question parents are found asking themselves – “how do I get my kids outdoors this summer?” The best ways to get your kids to put down their tech gadgets and start moving more is by visiting one of our favorite Northern California playgrounds!

With tech gadgets and activity trackers gauging our every move, fitness and all inclusive play environments have become the newest craze — and – not just for young people, but for people of all ages and abilities! As society pays more attention to overall physical health, there is a greater need for multigenerational designs that embrace diversity within the community. Play environments are not just for kids; they are for people of all ages and abilities.